A Modern Tale of Genji and the Talking Bike
by Fyras14
Summary: An epic tale of adventure and nonsense is about to begin...When a bike goes missing, Akko's on the case! Or at least, tries to be. A missing bike and mysterious golden boxes...Akko's vacations back home can't get any (worse) better! Sequel to "Princess of Tokyo." Story first posted on AO3. Updates pending.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Finally! The story I said I was going to post a few months back...yeah...oops. Well! That happened. Sorry for the super delay but here it is, the sequel to "Princess of Tokyo". There's going to be a lot of original characters here but Akko is back center stage after missing most of the action last time.

For now, I'll try to update once a week for this story.

_"People that talk in italics are talking in another language." _

Enjoy!

* * *

**0-0-0-0-0**

**A Modern Tale of Genji and the Talking Bike**

**0-0-0**

All was quiet as midnight approached the small little neighborhood in Edogawa.

A few streets were busy with noise and light, but not so much the lonely street with rows and rows of apartments buildings with a few modest houses scattered nearby. One of these buildings, however, was a tad bigger than it's smaller cousins. It had three floors instead of the common two the other apartment buildings had, with the second and third floor having their own balconies that gave the tenants breathing to wonder and see the outside world. A few of these balconies even had chairs and tables, while others had plants and even small little dog houses with no dog in sight.

Right next to this particular building was an open garage with two cars inside. People from other neighborhoods would have found it odd that there were only two cars for those many apartments, but had they just looked behind the apartments they would have noticed the closed off parking lot behind them. The tenants' cars were parked in this small little lot that offered security twenty four seven with security cameras and bricked walls on all sides with a metal gate being the only way out.

The lot, originally, didn't have any cameras to speak of, but certain circumstances in Tokyo had made the manager of this apartment complex uneasy. A lot of crime and not enough police officers, the rumors said. And so, the cameras were added, and while many people would call the manager paranoid, the man figured he'd rather be that than lose any tenants (and their money) to car thieves.

But today, the night was safe and sound. All was quiet and calm. No one in sight. No one to light the way but the stars above.

Had anyone been outside to look closer, however, they would have noticed that one star seemed to be shining brighter than all the rest. In fact, it appeared to be...falling. Falling and lightning a path as it fell from the sky. If anyone had been outside to see such marvel, they would have smiled and made a wish or in the most normal of cases, would have stared up in confusion as the star fell from the heavens without explanation.

But since no one was around to question it, the star just kept falling and falling, it's light becoming engulfed by the night, until it disappeared into the parking lot behind the apartments without a sound.

Then, a cat's cry shook the silence, and soon, the dogs hidden inside the apartments with their owners began their own melody of cries, following after a kitten that seemed to sense that something had gone wrong. Lights were getting turned on inside the apartments and a few tenants were already complaining for their neighbors to hear.

But everyone was too busy with the noise to hear the sounds coming from the parking lot. They sound like splashes of water, popping balloons, _blub, blub, blat, blub, blub, pop._ The noise seemed to turn themselves on and off, off and on, as if unable to decide what to do, as all around them the barking gets louder and the cat begins to hiss.

Then, a light begins to illuminate the lot. It starts small before growing and growing until it reveals the culprit.

The motorbike lies lonely a bit to the side, taking up space against the wall next to a van and a pickup. It's a cruiser, colored black with golden highlights, a pair of grey handles that are moving, vibrating from left to right as the sounds of the engine turning itself on and off fill the parking lot. The headlight, too, is big on the front, blinking light into the world every few seconds.

_Blub, blub, blat...blub, blub, pop! _

On and off. Left turn, right turn. On and off. Again. Repeat.

_Blub, blub, blat…_

Again. And again. Andー

The headlight stops blinking. It glows. It sparkles. It...grows. As the barking and the hissing gets louder, the headlight begins to change. Light sprouts from behind it, growing and growing in size, until it engulfs the headlight and begins to change shape. It begins with a snout, then a mouth full of sharp, glowing teeth, a nose, two fierce-looking eyes and then, a large mane of hair that sparkles and cracks as two little ears stick out of it.

The cat cries, louder, over all the barking, as the new creature with the body of a motorbike opens its mouth and lets out a roar that quiets the neighborhood. But the cars do not stay silent for long as their alarms blare and a melody of distortion begins.

By now, everyone is awake. Even a few apartments nearby have their lights shining through the windows, with a few sticking out their heads to see what all the commotion is about.

When a few of the tenants of that particular loud parking lot come down to investigate, they notice the open gate, destroyed, and it's metal burning. As the tenants stare at this strange occurrence, a pair of them, a young man and woman, walking quickly towards the area were the bike used to be. Nothing remains but the tire tracks that have been permanently burned into the pavement.

In frustration, the young man glares at the wall and mutters a curse.

**PART I**

Morning arrived with no problems for the residents of a quaint little neighborhood on a different part of Edogawa. Unlike the collection of buildings and apartments, this particular particular street was dominated by homes and a few businesses nearby.

Houses were crammed together, side by side. Some with two or three floors that towered above all the others. Old Fukuyama's shop was still open and still sold everything from clothes to snacks to old antiques year round. Unlike old Fukuyama's shop, however, people had moved to new places as the years had gone by. The Takedas had moved away a long time ago, leaving their house to their only son, Takeda Go, while they enjoyed their retirement in the country. A house away, however, the old Kagari home had been sold a few years back, while the elder Kagaris had moved to another part of the ward. Since then, the house had been sold to many different people before a family finally settled down six years ago.

And then, there was an old house with the giant maple tree in the corner, offering shade to all those that passed by.

The house had not changed much over the years. The lawn was still simple, with neatly cut grass and the same, small little path that led from the front door to the wooden one that opened into the street.

People walked by, a few admiring the large maple tree and it's fiery red leaves that floated and decorated the sidewalk and the small garden where it stood. Neighbors waved at one another, a few greeted old friends and began conversations in the street, while others, young children, ran towards Fukuyama's shop, crying out for sweets.

And there was calm and serenity andー

"_ARGGGHHHH! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!?" _

Eventually the calm was broken by one Atsuko Kagari.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**I**

**0-0-0**

Akko's head hit the kitchen counter with a small _thud_; her mother, calm and caring, patted her back gently, as her daughter's newly acquired rabbit ears dropped with her sour mood.

An hour ago, Akko had been all smiles, excited, jumping up and about, about to show her mother the fruits of her labor, her magic in action. She was confident she would impress. Then, she took out her wand and in a grandiose voice cried out the magic words and then...and then…

...and then, she had turned herself into _this_. A half rabbit, half girl.

Akko messed up. She couldn't believe she had messed up. The young witch had been practicing all of last week! She had done this spell before...once or twice, and this had not happened before. Urgh. Life was just so unfair sometimes.

"_If it makes you feel better...I think they look good on you,"_ the older woman commented, as she took a seat on the other side of the counter and watched with amusement as her daughter just groaned in frustration, her long ears dropping a little more. "_Well...you look very cute." _

"_...not...helping…" _

The woman giggled. "_I'm sorry, Atsuko...but you do look so cute!"_ Akko raised her head a bit to stare at her mother, her rabbit ears barely hiding her eyes and the unamused look she sent the older woman. "_Oh, what's wrong, my little bun-bun?"_ Akko sighed.

"_...Mama. Stoooop." _

Her mother just laughed again as she ruffled Akko's hair, being careful in not touching her new ears. "_There, there, kiddo...I'm sure they will go away on their own. At least, I hope they do." _

Akko suddenly stood up, shaking her head fiercely as her ears flapped all over the place. Her mother reacted just as quickly, leaning as far as she was able to avoid being hit by one of them. "_Magic doesn't work like that! I have to break the spell but…" _The witch went to grab her wand, who had laid dormant over the counter throughout this difficult time, and glared at it. "_Nothing works!" _Her mother tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"_Did you perhaps run out of__ー__what did you call them? Magical batteries?" _

"_Huh? No, no! I didn't run out of batteries, uh...my magic is limited, but it still works! I turned the couch into a different color, remember?" _Akko's face lit up with a grin; changing colors of an object was easy...maybe the color wasn't alright but it was still a success! Her mother had actually smiled and applauded. She had been totally impressed.

"_Yes, yes I do."_ The woman replied with a nod, before glancing at the sofa in question. It lay undisturbed facing the large television unit, a few frames lay on the furniture, old photographs of the past, vacations, visits, and that of a young girl dancing in the middle of the rain. Good memories that clashed against the sofa whose color was a glowing sickly green. "_Huh...it changed color again…" _

"_What!?"_

"_Was that supposed to happen?" _

Akko growled in irritation. So much for success.

Grumbling under her breath, Akko pointed her wand at the sofa and muttered a little spell. Magic shrivelled and sparked from her wand, before it hit the sofa. A loud _pop_ and a cloud of smoke later, the couch had changed colors once more. But it wasn't the result Akko was hoping for.

The sofa had not only changed colors (a dark blue mixed with a greenish yellow) but the change had added a tigerstripe camouflage pattern to it as well.

Akko and her mother stared at the change in silence before the older woman hummed and said, "_Not...exactly the colors I would have chosen but it's alright, I suppose…"_ Akko responded with a groan, pulling at her long rabbit ears to indicate her frustration with the whole situation.

"_Are you kidding me!?" _

Half an hour later, Akko had managed, at least, to return the couch to its original color but could not do much about it's new pattern. At least one problem solved!...sort of. Now, Akko could focus on getting rid of her new rabbit ears, that cotton ball tail, and the pink nose that had overtaken her human one. Yet it seems that, unlike the sofa, some progress was not being made.

No matter how much she whispered, how much she begged or how much she yelled, the spell over her wouldn't break.

Eventually, Akko got so frustrated that she just threw her wand on the counter and marched towards her room, opened the door and slammed it back close again, rattling a few of the frames that lay hanging on the wall.

A few minutes later Akko's door opened and in came her mother, who found the little witch lying on her bed, holding a pillow to her chest as she pouted in frustration, her rabbit ears standing tall for all to see. The older woman approached the bed and knelt down to be face to face with her grumpy daughter.

"_Got it all out of your system?" _she asked her, only for Akko to hide her face on her pillow. The woman rolled her eyes affectionately. "_Akko…" _

"_...I'm a mess…"_ Akko whined.

"_Oh, honey...it's okay."_

"_But it's true!" _Akko threw the pillow aside and turned over so she was facing her room's ceiling, barely admiring the little stickers of stars that decorated it. They had stopped glowing in the dark a long time ago.

"_Maybe you were a little unprepared, that's true…" _her mother began, glancing at the ceiling, before turning towards her daughter, "_...and that's not what's upsetting you, is it?" _

"_...I thought I totally had it…"_ Akko admitted, turning to face her mother with teary eyes. Her mother gave her a sweet smile and began to pass a hand over her bangs, brushing them aside.

"_Well, you did it...not exactly as you wanted to, but magic is magic, isn't it?" _Akko gave her mother a pointed look.

"_I turned myself into a rabbit." _

"_An adorable rabbit,"_ her mother added with a grin. Akko, too, broke into a grin of her own, and stood up, her feet dangling from her bed as her mother stood up and sat beside her.

"_I'm really just too impulsive, huh…" _

"_That's never stopped you before," _her mother pointed out, putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "_I always did tell you that to see things through, patience is important...not a lesson you took to heart, but you do try." _

"_...I wasn't even rushing…" _

"_Says you,"_ her mother told her, laughing softly. "_You were practically jumping when you said you could do magic now, like Chariot. And you did magic." _Akko smiled as a hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks. "_It was wonderful...up until the ears that wouldn't go away." _Akko laughed. "_And isn't that what you wanted? To do magic and make people happy?" _

"_I didn't wanna mess up, though…" _

"_Well, failure is good. Failure gives us motivation to try again." _

Akko sighed. "_I guess…" _Her mother smiled and kissed her forehead.

"_So long as you don't forget that I believe in you, you'll be alright." _Akko smiled back.

"_Thanks, mama…" _

"_You're welcome...however, that still doesn't solve this little conundrum…" _The woman pointed at her daughter's rabbit ears. "_Will these things go away on their own?" _

"_...not sure…" _the little witch mumbled. "_...it might...maybe...sorta..."_ They were quiet for a while, with Akko was twiddling her fingers, unsure of how to continue this conversation as her mother gave her a look of concern and then, the older woman snapped her fingers as an idea formed in her head.

"_Maybe you can ask for help?" _

"_Huh? Where?" _

"_Well…how about you go to the local shrine?" _

"_You mean the Taro shrine, Mama?" _

Akko knew about the Taro shrine.

Her mother was friends with some of the miko that worked there, and she and her parents always went to the shrine during festivals and the New Year celebrations. Akko wasn't as familiar with the miko working there as her mother was, but even then, she rarely paid attention to things that didn't interest her.

"_Why don't you ask one of the girls to help you with your little...spell?" _

"_But they're miko! Not witches!" _Her mother just smiled.

"_And?" _

"_...don't they just know...sealing and stuff?" _

Her mother laughed.

"_Yes, that they do. They also have a baking sale once every two months...but that's beside the point." _Her mother patted her daughter's shoulder. "_Sealing spells and _stuff_...isn't that magic too?"_

"_But will they know metamorphosis magic?"_ Akko countered with a pout. The woman shrugged.

"_It never hurts to ask." _

Akko seemed to think about it.

On one hand, her mother had a point, it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask, but on the other, what if she just wasted time when she could try for the hundredth time to break the spell. Maybe it was better not to risk it. Besides, her wand's magic wouldn't last forever. Not that Akko had cared. She had only planned to use it to show her magic to her parents and then put it away until she went back to Luna Nova.

In fact, that had been Akko's plan from the very beginning ever since Sucy and Lotte started telling her about those metamorphosis lessons and how they were finally moving from theory to the actual spells. Not that it was much of a surprise, that Professor Badcock always started with theory but she would drag on and on to the point it stopped being helpful.

For Lotte and Sucy (and all her classmates of Luna Nova), metamorphosis magic was rather basic. But Akko wasn't like her friends and classmates. She wasn't from a family of magical lineage, and her only experience with magic came from watching a show ten years back. Akko had seen how Shiny Chariot had turned into various animals countless times, sometimes sprouting wings and flying all over the stage or turning into a half horse, half woman, and turning everything around her into birds and even dragons with the flick of her Shiny Rod. Such an amazing show of magic had left the little six year old amazed, enchanted.

So, when Akko joined Luna Nova, metamorphosis magic was the one she was the most excited to learn about. Or she would have, had the lessons not dragged on and on for days (and hours) on end. Lectures became a chore to sit through and Akko couldn't concentrate most of the time, couldn't keep still as the boring lessons went on and on. And, yes, Akko did fall asleep on her second day, but really, who wouldn't have!? Everyone else was close to collapsing, too! (Even if Akko couldn't really prove it.)

And the moment Akko gets sick, the teacher finally decides to start teaching the fun stuff. Lame.

Akko had been so annoyed by it all. They were finally learning something productive (and cool) and Akko was stuck in her room, nursing a bruised stomach with a scar she couldn't quite explain and prohibited from attending classes until she fully recovered from whatever bug she had caught. It just wasn't fair.

When Akko told Lotte her frustrations, her friend couldn't help but sympathize. Akko had made an effort to actually learn the basics of metamorphosis magic and now she was missing out.

And then, Diana Cavendish came and saved the day. Well, not in the literal sense, anyway.

After hearing of Akko's frustrations, Diana had offered tutoring for the sick girl to teach her the basics (again) and practice spells with her so she wouldn't be left behind when she recovered and came back from vacation. Akko could still remembered the burst of happiness she had felt. Still remembered how she had enveloped Diana in a bear hug and twirled her around the room as thanks. She still remembered Sucy and Lotte's amusement at the whole thing and Diana's unending embarrassment (coupled with Hannah and Barbara's shock).

The very next day, Diana began teaching Akko the basics and the words. She quickly went over the theory before moving straight towards casting spells.

"Precision is key," Diana had told her before they started casting magic. "If there is no precision, the spell distorts, it breaks. Too much force and you confuse the magic, too little and you end up casting nothing at all."

They started with the easier things first with Diana transforming a pen into a caterpillar, nodding at Akko to try to recreate what she had done. The pen...caught on fire. In Akko's defense, the spell had failed the first fourteen times she tried it and it had only caught after the fifteen tryーand no, it didn't catch on fire because Akko had become so exasperated at so many failed attempts. On the bright side, it hadn't exploded on her face. Yet.

Despite their little accident, Diana didn't give up on Akko and on the second day, the Cavendish's patience finally gave fruit. While the final result wasn't exactly an insect or even alive it was progress. At least Akko had managed to get the basics down, mostly.

On the third day, they had moved from inanimate objects to animals.

Diana had come with a little squirrel to practice the spell on, and demonstrated her precision and control by turning it into a rabbit. When it was Akko's turn, well, the squirrel was still there but Diana was sitting next to her, rather miffed, with a pair of rabbit ears on her person. After an immense amount of apologies later, Akko tried again, and this timeーnope, it happened again. Diana's ears had turned to that of a donkey's and she had even gained a tail! The British girl's only response to this was to stare at Akko for two, agonizing minutes, while the latter fidgeted under her unamused expression.

Diana had just sighed, dispelled the magic over her, and told Akko to try again.

A hundred (or more) incantations later, coupled with many exasperated sighs from Diana, the squirrel had finally, finaーsprouted rabbit ears and it's long curly tail had been replaced by a tiny cotton ball. The squirrel had just sniffed it's new appendages as Diana and Akko stared at the strange amalgamation for a few seconds before the Cavendish heir released the spell and turned the squirrel back to normal.

They decided to call it a day after that one.

The next day, progress was actually made and the squirrel had become a rabbit. Well, it certainly looked like a rabbit even with that long, curly tail. But progress was progress and Akko had been rather happy about that.

She had thanked Diana for the help and had left for Japan sure of her success of recreating the spell with no problems.

And what went wrong? Well, at least it had been Akko and not her mother that had suffered the consequences.

"_So?"_ Her mother's question shook Akko out of her thoughts.

"_Umm...maybe?"_ Akko got up from the bed and began walking towards the door. "_I guess I could...it's just a fifteen minute walk." _Before the girl could leave the room, however, her mother stood up and grabbed her hand. "_Huh? What's up?" _

"_And you're going out like that?" _

"_What's wrong with what I'm….oh…" _

"_I don't mind the shorts and those sleeves, kiddo...but the ears and the tail…" _Akko groaned.

"_And how do I hide them!?" _

"_Your father has a sweater with a hoodie that should do the trick…" _her mother explained, as she and Akko left the girl's room.

A few minutes later, Akko left her home wearing an all-too-big sweater that did a wonderful job at hiding her little tail and her long ears, the latter who had to be tied up by her mother to keep them still as the little witch made her way towards the temple as fast as she could.

Her mother watched the girl leave, shaking her head with affection, before she closed the door.

Before she could make it to the kitchen to start making dinner, someone began knocking on the door. The woman looked up, confused, wondering momentarily if Akko had forgotten her keys as she moved to answer the door.

"_Oh! Genji!" _

"_Ma'am." _

On the door, standing tall and holding a guitar case by his side, was a young man of twenty-five years of age. He wore a blue jacket and baggy pants, his spiky hair messier than usual as if he had just gotten out of bed.

Genji nodded with a grin and pointed his thumb behind him. "_Was that your kid with that oversized plastic bag?" _The woman laughed.

"_Yes, that was Atsuko...and Genji, I don't insult your fashion choices, do not insult mine." _Genji chuckled as he stepped inside the house, with the woman closing the door behind him.

"_That's not a fashion choice, Atsuki-san...that's a plain plastic bag disguise to look like clothes." _

Atsuki Kagari raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused look. "_Well, it's good to recycle, isn't it?"_ Genji grinned. Atsuki shook her head and began heading towards the kitchen counter. "_And what brings you here? Sit down, I'll get you some tea." _

"_Nah, that won't be necessary, I just wanted to__ー__huh?" _

"_Hmm? What's wrong?"_

Genji, still holding unto his guitar case, pointed towards the couch. It had changed color. Again. It was now a neon orange, the pattern barely visible through all that mess of color.

"_...your couch turned into a freaking carrot, Atsuki." _

Atsuki just shook her head and chuckled as an answer.


	2. Chapter 2

_"People that talk in italics are talking in another language."_

* * *

**PART II**

Akko walked as fast as she could, using the large sweater to cover her little ears and her cottontail. She really couldn't do much about her little nose, though, and needed to keep her face down whenever she ran into a crowd of people.

After many close calls (not to mention tripping in the middle of the street!), Akko finally made it to the Taro shrine.

The Taro shrine was said to be one of the oldest temples of Edogawa. According to the locals, the shrine had survived earthquakes, storms, fires and wars for centuries. And despite the years (and the damage), it had not changed much, at least, from what she gathered from her mom. It had gotten a few renovations here and there, but the temple had not really changed from how it used to look years ago.

The temple was rather small from a distance, it's triangular roofs holding up their little spiky hats colored a brilliant red, while the walls that held it up were colored dark reds and a pale white. A faint discoloration could be seen, but it was minimal and it only required a little bit of paint. The walls, made out of concrete and stone, surrounded the area still, like a fence, except now, shrubbery had grown on its feet, only kept tame by constant care from the volunteers inside the temple. A new gate had been added over the once, opened space in the wall, that was opened for all to see the path of trees and the new buildings that had been added on the small area. Another small trail led to the great Urashima Forest, far beyond the shrine and it's companion buildings, a red gate stood some distance away, opened for all to pass.

For now, Akko just focused on getting inside, avoiding as many people as she could, her hood hiding her ears as her eyes darted around, trying to find the right place. Her eyes finally settled on a nearby building that had a small plaque that read, "Information Here". Akko smiled and moved straight towards it.

The building was small; it was an exact replica of the larger temple, with the only things telling them apart being their size, the colors and the glass door that displayed the hours it was opened. It was through this door that Akko noticed a young woman, a miko, inside the little building, manning something behind a desk. Taking a closer look before she stepped inside revealed to the witch that the girl was alone and Akko let out a sigh of relief.

The less people that knew of this embarrassment, the better.

Letting out a breath, the little witch quickly opened the door and stepped inside, momentarily squeaking as she was caught by surprise by a little bell that chimed above her. It was these two things, the bell and Akko's yelp of surprise, that caught the miko's attention and upon noticing Akko, stopped what she was doing and sent her a smile.

"_Oh! A customer! Welcome! Welcome!"_ the miko called, gesturing with her hand excitedly for AKko to come closer to the desk. "_Welcome to the Taro Gift Shop!" _

"_...Eh? A...gift shop?" _

Now inside, Akko finally took note of the different shelves and tables, all full of little knick-knacks and keychains and all sorts of things. Omamori, a few maneki-neko piggy banks (keychains and even stickers!?), daruma dolls in different colors, some ink and brushes, and finally stuffed animals, like foxes, komainu and crows (each with their own set of stickers, keychains and the like). Behind the desk, hanging inside a glass case, were prayer slips, all blank. And finally, sitting on the desk by the miko's side was a cash register.

This place made quite a picture.

"_Yep! This is the official Taro Gift Shop! Opened a few weeks back! Still need to fix the sign outside, though," _the miko told her, sounding somewhat apologetic when she talked about the sign. Ah, that explained that. "_If information is all you need, however, I'm sure I can assist."_ That last part was said in such a disappointed tone that Akko was almost tempted to buy something from the gift shop...almost. "_How can I help you?" _

"_Umm...well, you see...uh…" _Okay, the moment of truth. Akko just needed to ask forー

The glass door opened and the little bell sang again; Akko and the miko looked towards the newcomers, the miko smiling as Akko let out another surprised squeak and tried to make herself smaller.

They were a trio of miko, all wearing the traditional attire (as expected), with one of them holding a large staff that reached to her chin. The staff was made of wood and would have looked like a discarded tree branch had Akko not seen the charms covering the head of the staff, going around the end of it like bandage. Akko couldn't really make out the characters written on the staff, however, but she could only guess they were wards against evil spirits and the like.

The girl with the staff looked at Akko, nodded once, and approached the desk, starting a conversation with the girl behind it.

As the two miko went on with their rather, silent conversation, Akko took a minute to examine the newcomers that had arrived. The girl with the staff seemed to be the oldest one in the group give or take a year or two, her beautiful black hair, long and sleek, was held tied into a bun with the prettiest butterfly brooch Akko had seen. So simple and yet refined. The other girl she took notice, was a tad smaller in height, with tanned skin, as if she had spent all day at the beach, bathing in the sun. Like her companion, she had long hair, but it was colored a sandy brown, hanging loose, and covering the a necklace made of colorful flowers. Akko could have sworn she had seen similar flower necklaces somewhere but couldn't quite put her finger on where.

The last girl, however, seemed to be the odd one out if Akko was being honest.

She wore the traditional garments but her hair was shorter, a bob cut that reached her chin and side swept bangs, colored a lighter shade of black. Like the girl with the flowers, this girl, too, had something tied around her neck but whatever it was was hidden under her white haori. She also looked rather foreign, too, her expression reminding Akko of her classmate Amanda O'Neill. It was a sour, bored expression, as if she wanted to be anywhere but here.

It was this same girl that took a look at Akko, who, in a fit of nervousness, hid herself with her sweater and tried to make herself smaller. The girl stared at Akko for a bit, then, gently, nudged flower girl with her elbow. Her companion turned towards her and sent her a questioning glance. "Who's that?" the girl asked in English, gesturing towards Akko and her large black sweater.

"_Hmm...a customer, maybe?"_ flower girl answered back in Japanese while her friend just raised an eyebrow at Akko, who had decided to hide her face behind a hand.

"You okay there?" the strange miko asked, this time directing her question towards Akko, who gulped nervously when everyone in the room turned towards her. The girl behind the desk gasped and bowed, as if she had just remembered Akko was there.

"_My apologies!"_ the girl told Akko before turning towards the miko with the staff and explained, "_This young lady came here asking for information, I believe. She didn't have a chance to explain before you guys appeared...and well…" _The girl with the staff nodded once, and turned towards Akko, bowing in apology.

"_Please forgive my interruption. I had just assumed you were just browsing the shop." _

Akko just shook her head, hand still in front of her face, hiding her nose and mouth, hood hiding her ears. "_I-it's fine! It's fine! I...uh…" _Akko gulped. How exactly was she going to go about this? _Hey, I accidentally used magic and turned myself into a rabbit! _Suuure. Right! Uh...yeah, she had this (not). "_Um...I...err...I...you see…" _she stammered, averting her gaze. "_I...I...need you-your help...with...uh…" _The girl smiled encouragingly.

"_It is alright. Do continue." _Akko nodded, took a deep breath, and immediately uncovered her head, quickly moving to untie her ears, so they were standing tall for all to see. The little witch looked to the side, blushing as the group of miko stood there, staring. A few seconds passed before one of them, the one that spoke English, asked,

"Is...is that cosplay?"

The other miko, minus the one behind the desk who tried not to laugh, glared at the girl.

"_Sunny!" _

"What? Are they or are they not?"

Before the girl with the staff could berate her fellow miko, Akko grabbed her ears in frustration and groaned. "_They're real! They're magic!" _

"_Magic?" _the girl repeated, hitting her staff on the floor softly. She walked up close to Akko, taking time to examine her ears, only now noticing her animal-like nose. "_A transformation curse, perhaps?" _Akko quickly shook her head.

"_No! No! I...I did this…" _

"...you turned yourself into a hare?" the girl, Sunny, asked her, pointing at Akko's unusual ears. "You did that?" Akko nodded, her ears dropping with embarrassment. "Are you a witch? Or you just practice magic as a hobby?"

"_...I'm a witch!"_ Akko spoke, pride edging on her voice before her posture deflated upon noticing her ears. "_Eh...well...I...I can do magic." _Sunny raised an eyebrow and gestured towards her ears.

"Messed that spell up, huh?"

"_...yeah…" _

"_Hmm...this is rather interesting," _the girl with staff remarked, silently asking for permission to touch Akko's new ears. "_What spell is this?" _the miko asked, touching the tip of one of Akko's ears.

"_Metamorphie faciesse_, a basic transformation spell." Sunny answered with Akko blinking in surprise. How did she…? "Beginners usually have trouble with that one for some reason. Personal experience." Akko couldn't help but stare at her, doe-eyed.

"_Huh? You know about that?" _Sunny just shrugged.

"I'm from a family of witches...and my family is, or rather, was good at those kinds of spells. Not much these days, though." Akko wanted to ask more but then, she felt a slight tug on her ear and turned towards the girl with the staff.

"_In any case, this spell is an easy fix,"_ the miko told her, smiling. "_It...might hurt a bit though." _Akko nodded, blinked, and finally realized what the girl had said and blurted out a terrified, "_HUH!?" _but the miko paid no mind. She whispered a few words under her breath and then pulled Akko's ear, hard. Akko flinched, not having time to process what was happening properly, before a small popping sound was heard and a puff of smoke engulfed her face. Akko blinked as the smoke finally dispersed.

The miko with the staff stood by her side, smiling, while Sunny nodded in approval and the girl with flowers grinned.

It was then that Akko finally noticed what was missing. She touched the top of head. Nothing. Her long ears were gone! She quickly went to feel her human ears and let out a sigh of relief when she felt them, back in their normal place. Akko felt her nose as well, before looking behind her and noticing her little cottontail was gone. She was normal again! "_You fixed it!" _

The miko nodded. "_Yes. My apologies for the slight...tugging."_ Akko shook her head, smiling.

"_It's fine! It's fine! Thank you! Uhm…" _

"_Honda Momo, at your service, as for my companions," _she then gestured towards the other miko. "_Our resident witch expert," _Sunny rolled her eyes upward, "_is Miss Selene Archer, we call her Sunny." _Sunny waved lazily.

"They call me Sunny because I just happen to be a ray of sunshine..." Akko and the other two remaining miko laughed. Momo smiled softly before gesturing towards flower girl with her staff.

"_This young lady is Nani Keokani."_ Nani smiled sweetly. "_And finally, our shopkeeper here is Hibiki Aoi." _

"_Nice to meet you! My name's Kagari Atsuko but you can call me Akko!" _Akko replied with a grin. Hibiki perked up.

"_Oh! Your name is Kagari?"_ Akko nodded. "_Then you must be Atsuki-san's kid!"_ Akko nodded again, this time tilting her head with curiosity.

"_You know my mom?"_ Hibiki nodded.

"_Yeah, yeah! Don't you remember, Honda-san?"_ the girl remarked turning to the miko in question. "_Kagari-san is an old friend of Yoko-sama's. The detective that came in all those weeks ago, remember? When they caught those guys stealing the donation box." _

"...wait, wait...someone tried to steal your donation box?" Sunny asked, sounding genuinely interested. "...okay."

"_Eh. It's not as bad as it sounds. They got stuck at the gate." _Sunny smirked.

"Well, it is a rather wide box."

"_If only it had been the box…" _Sunny blinked before letting out a small laugh.

Akko only frowned.

She knew she hadn't been in Japan for a while now, but she couldn't really believe that people were stealing from temples of all places. It wasn't unheard of that people stole from shrines, Akko knew that to be true, but to do it in such a callous way was...odd. Okay, Akko was one to talk but she would never steal from a temple and besides, food that was _technically_ free didn't count.

"_On the plus side,"_ Hibiki went on, "_they won't try that again." _

"Yeah, sure," Sunny replied as she and Nani shared a look.

"_We take comfort in the fact that the things these hooligans take can be easy to replace." _Momo explained, nodding towards Akko. Sunny just grunted.

"Yeah, but one usually replaces things when they're broken."

"_That's true, too." _

Well, that sounded ominous. Had people been stealing more than donation boxes and getting stuck on gates?

"_Oh!"_ Akko exclaimed, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. The little witch smiled towards Momo and asked, "_How much do I owe you?" _

"_Owe me?" _Momo wondered, sounding confused. "_You owe me nothing, Kagari-san. We are here to help the people, not take their money." _

"_That is of course, if you're planning to buy!"_ Hibiki replied remarked, grinning. Sunny and Nani couldn't help but laugh as Momo began shaking her head in amusement. Akko nodded vigorously, turning towards the many little keychains, dolls, and other stuff.

Akko took a small little plush doll of a crow and turned towards the girls. "_How much for this!?" _

She needed to bring some souvenirs back to Luna Nova after all.

* * *

Minamoto Genji was a singer.

He started young, played the guitar since he was ten, played in bands since he was eighteen. He had made a name for himself outside of Japan and he was rather proud of that. At twenty-one, he bought his first electric guitar, a custom made stratocaster, that had been decorated with little scratches and the occasional autographs over the five years he had had the thing. Recently, he had made a habit of taking the guitar everywhere he went, except on special occasions and dates. His girlfriend, Mildred, would always ask him, with a smile and a cute little giggle, if he was about to start a musical number in the street whenever she saw that guitar case behind him. It was...a bad habit. Genji loved his guitar. It was one of the first things he had bought with hard work and determination, and he very well couldn't leave it alone to pick up dust somewhere in his little apartment. Besides, as a princess had once told him, inspiration could be anywhere, it was just a matter of finding out where and well, carrying a guitar around with him most of the time, he figured he'll work on that inspirational melody first.

In some ways, Mildred had turned out to be right about that musical number after all.

But today, as much as Genji wanted to, he couldn't find the inspiration to write or even sing. He had other things to deal with.

His bike was missing.

"_It happened in the middle of the night…"_ Genji explained as he took a seat by the kitchen counter where Akko had been sitting a few minutes ago, watching as Atsuki began to heat some tea. Once the pot was in place and the electric stove was turned on in the lowest level, Atsuki turned towards him and nodded at him to continue. "_If that wasn't bad enough...whoever the jackasses were, they made a lot of noise, too, screwed with the cameras and burned the freaking gate."_ Atsuki's eyes narrowed.

"_...they burned the gate?"_ Genji shrugged.

"_Damn if I know how." _

"_And the cameras? Any electronic devices found near the area?" _

Genji made a face. "_Just burned metal's all I got." _

"_That is...interesting,"_ Atsuki noted, glancing at the pot as it began to heat up. The older woman grabbed it by the handle and began to fill in two cups, quickly putting the teapot aside to pass Genji a cup while she took one for herself. "_That seems like so much unnecessary effort just for a bike." _

"_Hey, now…" _Genji grumbled and Atsuki just smiled.

"_Well, it's true. Your little noise-maker isn't the most expensive bike out there, unless you're stealing a limited edition Neiman Marcus. I wouldn't really bother with Ol' Rowdy." _Genji grumbled some more. "_Besides, it's usually not attention thieves want when they steal after all."_ Atsuki glanced at her tea before turning towards her young friend. "_Have you reported it?"_ Genji snorted.

"_I tried. Freaking station's a mess of people. It took me thirty minutes to talk to someone." _Atsuki sighed sadly, putting her cup aside not bothering to take a drink.

"_Yes...I can imagine...the past few months have been rather...difficult." _

"_Not enough money to keep people around?" _

Atsuki shook her head. "_More like a very bad management of it. It's been a problem for years now...the new recruits are being transferred to other wards because they can't afford to pay them here. Many of the older officers have already retired or are about to, if things don't improve." _Atsuki let out a deep sigh. "_We take pride in our work, but...well…" _

Genji shook his head. "_Who would have thought? Edogawa's losing it's police force because someone's not managing the money correctly." _

"_Basically," _Atsuki answered. "_And…? What did they tell you at the station?" _

"_What do you think? 'We'll look into it', they said. And you know what that means? It means I'm not seeing that bike ever again." _

"_Always so negative." _

Genji shrugged before leaning against the counter. "_Hey, I'm just being realistic."_ He stared at his cup then took a sip of tea, flinching slightly. It was a little hot. "_I loved that bike. My Rowdy. Now, some asshole is stripping it off its parts or it's on a boat to America." _

"_I'm sorry about that, Genji," _Atsuki told him kindly. "_I know how much you loved your little noise-maker." _Genji chuckled and raised his cup.

"_All that money...all of it down...the freaking...drain." _He put the cup on his lips and took a long sip, finishing the tea in a single gulp, before calmly placing the cup on the counter and letting out a sigh. When Atsuki gestured at his cup and offered him more tea, Genji declined. "_So, how are you?"_ the young man asked, switching topics. "_How come you're here and not at the station? That place is packed with people and very little officers to attend them."_ Atsuki looked to side, hiding her mouth with her cup, slowly taking a sip of her drink.

"_I...uh...I am on...vacation." _

Genji raised an eyebrow. "_...on vacation?" _

"_Y-yes." _

"_On...vacation?" _

"_Yes,"_ Atsuki responded, raising an eyebrow at the young man as she put her cup down. "_I believe we have already established that part of the conversation." _Genji just gave her a look.

"_They let you go on vacation with all the mess that's happening…?" _Atsuki flinched and began glancing around the room, trying to avoid Genji's gaze. "_They have like...five people there and they let you, a senior police officer, go...on...vacation." _

"_...Uh...I mean...why wouldn't they?" _

Genji frowned at her. "_Atsuki...you know I won't tell Akko." _Atsuki offered one final nervous glance before relenting with a sigh.

"_...I...am on leave. Got shot in the arm." _Genji flinched. "_It wasn't serious. The bullet didn't hit anything important." _

"_Ouch...when...when did that happen?" _

"_About a week ago. We went to check an old abandoned warehouse. Ran into trouble with a group of thieves. One of them had a gun. I got...momentarily distracted and well..." _Atsuki trailed off but Genji caught the implication all the same.

"_And Go? He alright?" _

Atsuki smiled. "_Go has as much energy as the sun. But yes, he is alright. He did save the day after all." _

"_And what about Satoshi?"_ Atsuki's smile turned melancholic.

"_Well, apart from the mini heart attack, he's alright…" _

"_And the reason you ain't telling Akko is because…?" _

"_I don't want her to worry. She already knows my job is...a dangerous one...and I'll rather not give her stress she doesn't need. Especially when she goes back to Luna Nova...learning magic is a difficult thing, after all."_ As she said that, the couch sparkled and changed color. It was now a rosy pink, the pattern unchanged.

"_I can see that," _Genji commented, glancing behind him at the newly colored sofa. "_Guess that explains why Hiko didn't show up at the studio when I went a few days ago. She was nursing a bullet wound." _Atsuki smirked.

"_Hiko decided to take it easy for a while...on account of a bullet...unlike Captain Utada, Mamori surely doesn't mind." _

"_I'm surprised you can even manage both jobs to begin with…"_ Atsuki shrugged.

"_I do my best. Besides, it's mostly writing songs these days...but Junko-san wishes we could sing together again." _Genji laughed.

"_And you should, Atsuki-san! You're amazing! I mean...Hiko is amazing!" _Atsuki smiled sweetly at him.

"_Thank you, Genji...she appreciates it." _

"_And Yukimura might appreciate it more." _

Atsuki shook her head. "_I owe Mamori for sticking with me during one of the most difficult times of my life and Hiko is the best I can give her to repay that kindness." _Genji nodded.

"_Too bad Hiko can't do a live concert...I mean, if the police job doesn't work out…"_ Atsuki smiled.

"_Hiko is a labor of love," Atsuki told him, "The less people know who she is the better. It's attention I don't want. Mamori understands...but well, Satoshi and Akko want to see me performing in a stage again."_

"_Why not? We're all itching for Kurosawa Atsuki's comeback."_

"_But Hiko is all you kids will hear, I'm afraid. You'll have to wait a while." _Genji laughed. "_Well, enough about that...and how is Mildred, by the way? Is she still busy with that...family affair?" _Genji's mood turned a bit sour.

"_As best as she can. She's still fixing that mess her father left behind...and with her brother gone, well, there's so much she can do without tearing her hair out." _

"_At least she's got her brother-in-law to help her out…" _Atsuki commented, taking a small sip from her cup. "_I'm assuming he's the one that's taking care of the estate while Mildred finishes her contract work here, yes?" _Genji nodded.

"_Yep. Her in-laws are taking care of the place until Milly gets all the paperwork finish...not to mention all those other plans she has in mind." _The young man sighed. "_It's a nightmare." _

The two friends were silent for a while, Atsuki filling Genji's cup with tea and turing to fill up hers. As they were camly drinking their tea, the front door opened and Akko walked in with a couple of bags and looking normal again.

"_Tadaima!" _she cried.

"_Okaeri nasai," _Atsuki answered, smiling as she noticed her daughter's lack of animal features. The older woman took note of the bags and raised an eyebrow. "_You went shopping?" _

"_Yeah! The girls at the temple have a shop! Oh! Genji-niichan!"_ Akko dropped her bags near the entrance and waved at the young man excitedly. "_Hey, hi!"_ Genji waved back, a smirk on his face.

"_Hey, kid...I see you went on a shopping spree,_" the young man replied, eyeing the bags. Akko grinned.

"_I did! I bought all sorts of cool things from the Taro shrine!" _

"_Oh! They finally opened their little shop, then?" _Atsuki asked her and her daughter nodded.

"_Yeah! Yeah! Check it out!"_ Akko quickly turned around, grabbed the bags and marched towards the counter, and then, she stopped, head turning slowly to face the couch. It was pink. "_IT CHANGED COLOR AGAIN!?" _

**0-0-0-0-0**

**II**

**0-0-0**

Genji left a few minutes later, leaving mother and daughter alone to begin fixing up dinner.

"_I hope that you didn't spend your entire allowance on plush dolls and keychains,"_ Atsuki commented as she placed the pan over the electric stove. Nearby, Akko pouted, too busy washing the dishes to answer right away.

"_No, Mama," _Akko replies, nodding in satisfaction at the clean plate in her hands before putting it aside and moving to clean another one. "_I still have enough!" _

"_Do you now?" _

"_Yep!" _

"_How much?" _

"_Eh…" _

"_Atsuko...how much?" _

"_I-eh...umm…1,000 yen…?" _

"_Atsuko…" _

"_B-but, they were so cute!" _

"_...what happened to the 24,000 yen your father gave you for the week?" _

"_...the dolls were cute." _

"_Atsuko…"_

"_Urgh…" _Akko looked down at the dirty plates, grime and soap and bubbles and all. She mumbled something under her breath, wringing the water out of the sponge.

"_What was that?" _

"_...I...wanted to...thank the girls...for helping me out…"_ Akko shyly answered.

Atsuki stared at her and smiled. "_I see. But I fail to see how 24,000 yen went missing." _Akko flinched.

"_...they had umeboshi...and other snacks…" _

Her mother nodded with a smile. "_Of course." _

"_...and well...I wanted to bring something back for my friends back at school, too...but...I didn't find much." _

"_Oh. And did you find anything they might like?" _Akko shook her head.

"_Not...really." _

"_Hmm…" _Atsuki had finally moved away from the stove and towards the fridge; she opened it quickly and took out the necessary ingredients for dinner, placing them on the counter near the stove and getting a cutting board from one of the cupboards above. "_I'm assuming the snacks and umeboshi are not for them, then." _

"_Ehh...they...well, my roommates, don't particularly like umeboshi…"_ Atsuki smirked at that.

"_Only because you like sour more than sweet."_

"_Sour is better."_ Atsuki let out a gasp at her daughter's remark, pretending to be offended.

"_It is not!" _

Akko laughed. "_It totally is!" _

"_Not true." _

"_Mamaaaaa!" _

Atsuki let out a small laugh. "_Alright...but I still think sweet umeboshi is better." _Akko stuck her tongue out playfully before turning back to continue washing the dishes. "_Do you know what they like?" _Atsuki asked after a while; she had already turned on the stove, putting the vegetables on top of the cutting board and cutting them into even pieces.

"_Well…" _

Akko did know what her friends would like. Sort of.

Lotte, well, she probably wouldn't mind the dolls, but unlike Akko, Lotte wasn't much for plushies. She was more of a reader, reading these strange novels about a girl, a vampire and a werewolf and the adventures they had together. It had a rather convoluted plot (it had also been around for over 120 years...so, it probably wasn't ending any time soon). Akko could probably get Lotte a book, but what kind, that was the question. She was pretty sure that _night fall_ series of hers wasn't really common in Japan, much less here in Edogawa. So...a book. Well, Lotte didn't just like books, though. She also liked to...uh...sing. Uhh. Okay, umm…

(Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!)

Next up, Sucy. Mushrooms. Done.

As for her friends from the green team, well, Akko knew that Jasminka loved food. Maybe she could go out a get her different snacks. Constanze, well, she wasn't really quite sure what to get her. Constanze liked to tinker with things. Hmm. Tough one. Oh! Maybe she'll like one of those robot figurines that were so popular here in Japan! Oh...but those were...so expensive...and she had just _donated_ 24,000 yen...urk! Okay, okay, maybe she could find something in Fukuyama's shop. Old Fukuyama would certainly have something.

And then, there's Amanda. Akko really didn't know what she could get Amanda. Hmm. Maybe snacks. She wasn't a big eater like Jasminka but Akko had seen them sharing food from time to time. Maybe she'll like one of the plush dolls she bought. That little red fox definitely fit with her personality!

Now, for the final one...Diana.

When she finally got down to thinking about it, it was all really weird. Akko never thought she and Diana Cavendish, little Miss Perfect, would become friends, much less get along so well (minus the whole Shiny Chariot talk, obviously).

Sure, that time when she had gotten really sick was lame but it had brought Akko and Diana closer. Somehow. It was weird. And now, here she was, thinking about what the Cavendish girl might like from Japan.

Snacks? Books? Food? Eh...dolls? (A Shiny Chariot card!?)

It was so hard to decide!

"_...Mama…" _

Atsuki had finally finished cutting the vegetables, putting them aside in a small, little bowl, before moving towards the chicken, gently cleaning it, before chopping it into smaller pieces. "_Yes?" _

"_I...I might need a little help with that…" _

"_Help? Can't decide on what to get them?" _

"_Not really. I know what they all like...well, most of them anyway, but…" _

"_You figured 24,000 yen worth of snacks and plushies won't be enough." _

"_Y-yeah…" _

"_And why's that? Did you promise them more extravagant gifts?"_ Atsuki finished cutting the chicken, and moved towards the pan, adding a bit of oil on the surface. She waited until it simmered, and then began to add the vegetables carefully, before grabbing a spatula and moving them around so they wouldn't burn.

"_No! No! Nothing like that!"_ Akko shook her head. "_It's just...well...they got...punished." _Atsuki glanced at her daughter, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"_Punished?" _Akko nodded.

"_Yeah...they, well, messed up a spell and almost ended up burning the school." _

Atsuki blinked.

"_...they...tried...to burn down the...school?" _she asked, slowly, slowing the spatula's movements down as she did. Akko paid no attention as she went on to cleaning the dishes.

"_Yep! It was super weird! Sucy says it's Diana's fault, but Lotte disagrees and…"_ As Akko rambled on, Atsuki just stood there, staring at the pan and the vegetables, not even paying attention but moving the spatula all the same.

_So...that's how it is…_

And Atsuki smiled, then grinned, then broke into giggling fit, spooking Akko, who jumped and scattered soap bubbles all over the place. As her daughter berated her, Atsuki just continued to laugh and laugh, the vegetables all but forgotten.

_So, that's what it was! _

Needless to say, their dinner (minus the rice) was slightly burnt when it was all said and done.

* * *

Akko let out a yawn as she switched the television off.

There was nothing exciting. All were just reruns of old shows and the anime she liked would be airing later in the day.

It was already a new day and Akko was just bored.

Her mother had left an hour ago to go to the doctor. At first, Akko panicked but Atsuki assured her (rather nervously) that it was a regular checkup and that she'll be coming back later to help her buy those souvenirs for her friends. Her father, Satoshi Kagari, had left early too. Unlike her mother, Papa wasn't going on vacation any time soon. The client his company was working with at the moment had been an absolute nightmare nonstop for the past month.

"_He's basically stopping everyone from working...every day it's something new…"_ Akko remembered him saying.

Now, it was just her alone. Alone with her purple couch.

Akko still remembered her father jumping when the change had taken place. He hadn't even noticed the sofa had been a different color until after he sat on it. Her mother had laughed, of course, and Akko, well, Akko had stopped trying to change the couch back to normal.

If she couldn't do it before, it would just be a waste of magic. She only hoped the spell would break on it's own...hopefully.

For now, she waited. Waited for her mother to come back...waited forー

_Knock, knock! _

Akko quickly got off the couch and ran towards the front door.

"_Hello? Oh, Genji-oniichan!" _

Genji stood on the other side, wearing a black jacket with too many pockets, a white t-shirt that was barely visible behind all that leather, blue jeans, and finally, sunglasses for good measure. Typical Genji-look. At least, he looked better than yesterday.

"_Hey, brat, where's your mother?" _

"_Mom? She's out. Went to the doctor's office for a checkup." _Genji raised an eyebrow at that before turning his head to the side, as if trying to hide his expression.

"_I see...so, you know at what time she's coming back?"_ Akko shook her head. "_Damn. I was hoping she'll help me out." _

"_You mean about your bike?" _

"_Yeah. She told you about that?" _Akko nodded.

"_Uh-huh! But...why aren't you at the station? Mom's not working today."_ Genji scoffed.

"_I know that. But the...I mean, she's more reliable."_ Akko glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"_Let her take a break! She's on vacation!" _

"_Hey, kid, easy." _Genji told her with an amused grin. "_I just want your mom's advice, that's all."_ Akko's gaze softened slightly.

"_Okay…"_ the little witch uncrossed her arms but then, her expression brightened. "_Hey! Onii-chan!" _

"_What?" _

"_What if I help you!?" _

"_Huh?" _

"_I can help you out with my magic, obviously!" _

Genji gave her an incredulous look. "_Magic?" _

"_Yep!" _Akko nodded with a smile, before taking out her wand from one of her sleeveless jacket's pocket and showing it off. "_I might have a spell or two that might help!"_ she explained excitedly. Genji raised an eyebrow.

"_...have you fixed the couch?"_ Akko blinked.

"_Huh?" _

"_The couch. Is it fixed?" _

"_Uh…" _

"_Kid, I don't mind the help, I really don't...but if you do something and you turn my hair blue, we're gonna have problems."_ Akko pouted.

"_I'm not that bad! So what if I can't fix a stupid couch!? This is different!" _Genji shrugged.

"_That's hard to believe." _

"_I'll have you know that I made a group of brooms dance with my magic alone! And it was amazing!" _

"_That's nice and all, kid...but if my bike is not moonwalking back home, it helps me very little to know that information." _Genji told her, making walking motions with his fingers as he spoke. Akko let out a groan of annoyance.

"_Onii-chan...you're so meaaaannnn…"_ The young man smirked and ruffled her hair.

"_And you're amusing, kid...alright, alright...I guess an extra pair of eyes wouldn't be that much of a problem."_ Akko perked up.

"_Really!?" _

Genji nodded. "_Yep. But under one condition!" _

"_Okay! Okay!" _

"_No magic unless it's absolutely necessary, deal?"_ Akko seemed to think about it and finally, nodded with a grin.

"_Deal!" _

Genji only hoped he wouldn't regret this. Akko didn't have Atsuki's infamous bad luck...well, not all of it, at least.

What could possibly go wrong?

**0-0-0-0-0**

**II**

**0-0-0**

Akko and Genji had been walking aimlessly for ten minutes, with the young man checking his phone once or twice, using the internet to get directions to nearby workshops while Akko kept a lookout. "_Ah, finally!" _The two of them stopped and stared at Genji's phone where a map of Edogawa was present, small little red dots all over the place. Genji tapped one of them and immediately, the location zoomed in and showed the address below. "_That's a workshop we can check out. They might know something." _Akko gave him a look.

"_You really think they'll know anything about your bike?"_ Genji shrugged and put his phone away in his pocket.

"_They were stupid enough to burn a gate and leave a trail but smart enough to mess up the cameras, then I figured they'll be stupid enough to visit one of the local workshops." _Akko raised an eyebrow.

"_You don't think they're that dumb, right?" _

"_I want to believe their stupidity trumps their smartass." _

Akko shrugged and began walking, Genji following close behind. They finally reached a street, stopping to wait for the green light to glow before they could cross.

While Genji had a hand in his pocket, Akko resorted looking around, impatiently waiting for the light to change color. This light was so slow! There were no cars coming and still it took it's sweet time!

...oh, it changed color.

Finally!

Akko let out a small cheer while Genji snorted, and they began to cross the street and then, Akko suddenly stopped. The young man was already near the other side when he noticed his companion wasn't walking. "_Hey, brat! Get a move on!" _But Akko just pointed towards a nearby corner, and then, spoke excitedly, forgetting she was standing in the middle of the street and the light was going to turn red any second now.

"_Your bike! Your bike!" _

"_My what?" _Taking a look at where Akko was pointing, Genji could not help but blink in surprise.

There, peeking from a corner, was his old cruiser bike, same as the last time he saw it.

Genji couldn't help but gawk before shaking his head and following after Akko when she had started running towards it.

They found the bike alone and no matter how much Genji squinted his eyes, he couldn't see head or tail of anyone that might have left it here. Akko just smiled. "_Wow! I can't believe it! We found it! And all it took was not crossing the street!" _

Genji just nodded as he went to check his bike. He began to examine the bike closer, trying to see if this was really his bike; the colors were the same, same type of tires, leather for the seat, heck, even the plate was the same, 25-06 with the name 'Rowdy' written below the numbers. Yep. This was his bike alright.

"_...well...okay." _Genji remarked, scratching his head. "_How did this get here?" _

"_Hmm...maybe one of the thieves left it behind because he felt guilty?" _Akko wondered, a hand on her chin. "_I mean, that can happen, right?" _

"_Either that, or the police actually worked faster than I give them credit for," _Genji responded, shaking his head. "_I'm taking this thing to the mechanic. Check to see if they did something to it."_ He took out his keys from his pocket and got in, gesturing for Akko to hope behind him.

Once they got settled on the bike, with Akko holding his waist, Genji put in the keys and turned on the ignition. Nothing. He tried again. Nope. Third time, still nothing.

"_Huh?" _

Genji just let out a groan."_Oh, just great. Now I know why they left it behind. They broke it." _

"_I...guess," _Akko murmured, sighing. "_But we did find it, right?" _

"_And now I have to get it fixed...yeah, wonderful,"_ Genji replied with a glare. "_Come on, get off...we're doing this the old fashioned wa__ー"_

…_.brooom…._

The bike turned on.

_Blub, blub, blat...blub, blub, pop!_

"_The hell…?" _

"_It...it turned on…?" _

"_**...ha..ha..ha…"**_

Akko and Genji froze.

Did...did the bike just...?

Before either Akko or Genji could think about getting off the bike, the headlight sparkled, and then, it changed. The changed happened instantaneously, a head, a snout, a mouth of sharp teeth, eyes, ears and a mane of electrifying hair. It glanced behind it, grinning with sharp teeth at the petrified pair.

"_**Haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

And then the bike speeds off, taking Genji and Akko along with it.


End file.
